On Friday, May 18, nearly forty Robertsville Middle School students and four teachers had the privilege of hearing Linda Sue Park, author of A Long Walk to Water and A Single Shard, at Willow Brook Elementary School. We would again like to thank WBES librarian Lisa Meidl and the staff at WBES for allowing us to participate in this amazing event. After she finished her presentation, several RMS students presented their projects to Mrs. Park, whose book has inspired them to help others in the world.

Robertsville Middle School 7th graders are in the midst of their PBL (project based learning) based on A Long Walk to Water. The book focuses on the incredibly difficult and inspiring life of Salva Dut, a Lost Boy from Sudan. Also incorporated in the book is a detailed account of a girl named Nya who has to walk eight hours a day to obtain dirty, contaminated water for her family. Salva eventually was allowed to come to the United States after having lived in refugee camps for most of his life. Once he settled in the US, he started a non-profit organization called Water for South Sudan. Its mission is to build wells in South Sudan so that people can have access to clean water. A well also allows for girls to go to school.

Seventh graders at Robertsville have participated in fundraising for Salva’s organization for two years now. Last year, the students raised almost $3,500. We just kicked off this year’s fundraiser last week, and our goal is $1,500. The students have made advertisements to promote our fundraiser. Some have chosen to make commercials through MovieMaker or Sway. Others are designing brochures on Microsoft Publisher. We feel incredibly fortunate to have heard Mrs. Park Friday while in the middle of this project. We would like to thank the fourth graders at Willow Brook for the very generous donation of $30 toward our project. If you are interested in giving to our seventh graders’ project, you can contact Michelle Scott or Becky Davis at RMS. The fundraiser runs through Thursday, May 24.

Three RMS 7th graders with author Linda Sue Park.